At a cost of almost $21 million over three years for its bus system alone, Jackson plans to transform its public transportation system with transit shelters instead of bus stops, new routes that could expand metro wide and a bike share component.

The city of Jackson approved a new operator for its public transportation system Tuesday, the first step in what city leaders say is a necessary overhaul of JATRAN.

The council approved a three-year contract with Illinois-based Transdev Services Inc. for the operations and maintenance of Jackson’s public transportation system, or JATRAN.

The contract with Transdev will begin Jan. 1. The city will pay Transdev $6,675,081 the first year; $6,977,385 the second year and $7,262,553 in 2021.

The council approved the contract Wednesday after a presentation from Mukesh Kumar, the city’s director of Planning & Development.

Kumar said his department is looking to overhaul how the city uses and views its transit services. It is evaluating changing existing bus routes to reflect changes in population and employment density. In some cases, JATRAN routes have remained the same for the last 30 years.

JATRAN had 497,528 passengers in 2017, up slightly from 2016, but down significantly from 740,880 in 2013.

One idea discussed is to have a bus connection between heavily trafficked areas such as Jackson State University, downtown Jackson and the University of Mississippi Medical Center mall.

Other thoughts include extending JATRAN throughout metro Jackson.

"We know those areas are quite important for public transportation, so we're looking at extending services outside of Jackson to meet the mobility needs based on population and density patterns," Kumar said.

The department also wants to renovate some of the bus shelters in the city. Kumar said the goal is to transform the shelters into what he calls "transit shelters," which will both meet Americans with Disabilities Act requirements and "add to the quality of public space."

In this June 19, 2016, file photo, Jackson resident Gladys Bunzy sits at a JATRAN bus stop on Robinson Road. The city approved Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2018, a three-year contract with Illinois-based Transdev Services Inc. for the operations and maintenance of Jackson’s public transportation system(Photo: Justin Sellers/The Clarion Ledger)

"We want to expand these public spaces and include retail and other types of activity, like someone playing music. Basically, we're looking at something that is not just for bus riders," he said.

Kumar was quick to point out his department isn't focusing on JATRAN alone. Rather, he is looking at all public transportation options for Jackson residents. "JATRAN is the backbone, but I would discourage people from thinking of JATRAN alone. There are a number of things to consider when you think of mobility such as a bike share program."

The city formerly contracted with National Express Transit Service Corp., which had a three-year contract with the city. Transdev and First Transit, Inc. submitted bids for the contract.

Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said his administration chose Transdev in part because of "a robust maintenance component" to the contract.

"The review committee felt that both of the proposed contractors were well qualified to provide the services. However, the critical components were how the proposed contractors' regional management team would support the local team and be able to interact with city staff. Maintenance is our weakest link. The proposed contractor showed an aggressive approach to our maintenance plan..." the department said in a memo to the mayor.

Transdev, a multinational company, has contracts with municipalities across the United States. In September, Baltimore sued Transdev North America, saying the company overbilled it by more than $20 million, according to the Washington Post.